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{
    "id": 737842,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/737842/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 95,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Makenga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1650,
        "legal_name": "Richard Makenga Katemi",
        "slug": "richard-makenga-katemi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to add my voice on the debate of this very important Bill, which has been brought to the House by my good friend, Hon. David Ochieng. I support this Bill because it is meant to provide some legal framework to protect domestic industries from unfair competition from foreign industries. For many years, this country has been used as a dumping ground for cheap goods. If you look at that critically, you will find that they are goods that can be produced locally. This Bill is, therefore, introducing some measures to curb dumping of cheap imports in this country. Dumping of cheap imports is one way of killing the morale of investors or people who may want to start local industries. Since cheap materials or finished products are brought into the country, such would-be investors realise that they will not be able to compete favourably. The passage of this Bill will bring sanity in the trading sector and tame individuals who think that they can create opportunities of making quick money by dumping cheap goods in this country. My colleagues have talked about some industries which were doing very well in the early 1970s and 1990s. Those industries collapsed due to greediness of a few individuals. They connived to kill local industries. I am citing the local textile industry. I come from Makueni County, which is a fairly dry area. At one time, we were one of the leading producers of cotton. Due to the collapse of the local cotton consumer industries, production of cotton in that county ceased. I feel very sad because that was one way of ensuring the livelihood for our people. They have resources like land, manpower and capacity to produce cotton. However, when these people killed the local factories, cotton production in Makueni ceased. Some private people even invaded and grabbed the ginnery from the local people. That was very unfair. In fact, the cotton industry was the only lifeline of the people of that area. People have not been able to sustain their livelihoods since the cotton industry was brought down. Although globalisation has brought a big change in the world, the world has since become a global market. However, it does mean that everything that is produced in a certain corner of the world should enter into our local marked unchecked. The proposed agency will be entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that not all foreign products are brought into the country. I would, therefore, urge that once the proposed agency is put in place, it tries to be effective in terms of protecting our local industries by ensuring that imported products do not The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}